The present invention is generally related to storage systems and in particular to a system and method for cryptographic storage technique to provide secure long term retention of data.
Storage systems have been evolving around network-based architectures. Notable architectures include network attached storage (NAS) systems and storage area network (SAN) systems. Network accessible storage allows an enterprise to decentralize its operations and to locate its users around the world. Long term storage becomes increasingly more significant as various aspects of an enterprise are reduced to data which can be accessed by its distributed users. In addition, government regulations require long term storage of certain types of information, such as electronic mail.
However, when storage systems are connected through networks, there is a security risk for unauthorized intrusion of the storage systems. Rogue servers or switches, and in general “hackers,” can cause network disruption by their unauthorized access to data. Encrypting the data in flight and/or at rest will work to avoid these risks.
Encryption algorithms are susceptible to technology in that advances in data processing technology create increasingly more powerful computing systems that can be used to break contemporary encryption schemes. An encryption scheme (in general, the cryptographic criteria for encrypting and decrypting data) that is presently thought to be computationally inaccessible is likely to be cracked by the processors and cryptographic engines of a few years from now. One solution is to apply stronger encryption; e.g., use longer encryption key lengths, more advanced encryption algorithms, or both when such time arrives, thereby raising the computational hurdle.
However, this poses problems for encrypted data that is to be stored for long periods of time. First, there is the need to keep the data for a period of time. A time passed, the “older” encrypted data have weaker encryption in comparison to available processing power. Thus, encrypted data thought to be secured at one time is likely to be broken years later. There is a need for the encrypted data to be available. Consequently, the “older” encrypted data is susceptible to unauthorized access by someone with sufficient processing power. Therefore a need exists to provide of increasingly stronger cryptographic criteria, e.g., longer key(s), stronger algorithms, etc., for long term storage of encrypted data.